Papers written by Hodgkin, Ernest P. (Doctor, b.1908 - d.1998) - Part 1

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Dream City

I dreamt I walked in London Streets again
And trod the paving stones with booted feet,
I felt upon my face the sting of rain
And saw again the surging traffic fleet
Around a calm policeman scream and fuss,
I watched the clanging trams so tall and lean
And rode in comfort in a Green Line bus
Past traffic lights that flickered red and green;

I gaped at shops all packed with brilliant stuffs,
With overcoats and suits and dazzling ties;
The scent of coffee wafted in delicious puffs
From cafes redolent of cakes and pies.
In London streets a fellow internee
I recognised, clad only in a 'V'.

_[*8.10.48*]

Then and Now

Before the war, not long ago.
The white man lived with ease and wealth,
No smallest need must he forego.
Nor count the vitamins if health

He would retain; but lived a life
As yet untouched by want or strife.

To clean his house and serve his food
There was a silent Chinese ‘boy’ ;
An amah kept his babes subdued;
To cook his food he did employ
A cook (who seldom served him rice);

And for his car he kept a syce.

And at his office there were more
To do his bidding - -peons and
Stenographers and Clerks galore;
He scarcely had to raise his hand
For them to  rush to do his will,
To type, or merely pay a bill.

But now all that is changed, and he
Has none to cook for him or sew,

or sweep, or wash, or dig, or see 
That all his clothes are kept just so;
Himself he must do all these chores - -
There’s no one else to sweep the floors
_{[*April 43*]}

Europeans "               C  H Chinese A Malays    "                    Tamils     "                     Japanese Pathans Sikhs Brahmin A C 1 Europeans in lieu of rice	1 lb 2oz 2lbs ¼ "     ¼ "                    ¼ "                      ¼ " 10 ozs. 10 " 14 " 1 lbs. 12 ozs. 2 ozs
Bakers Europeans Pathans Sikhs Brahmin
Europeans Malay A Tamils " Pathans " Sikhs " Pork Europeans Chinese A Sikhs " Beef Europeans         Chinese A Malays " Pathans "	½ lb. ¼ " ¼ " ¼ " ¼ " ½ lb. ¼ " ¼ " ½ lb. ¼ " ¼ " ¼ "
Europeans Soya Bean Chinese A Dhal Malays A Tamils " Braham " Pathans " Sikhs " Milk Europeans Extras Jam Europeans	4 ozs.   2 ozs 2 ozs 2 " 2 " 2 " 2 "   2 ozs     2 ozs.
Malays " Tamils " Japanese " Pathans " Sikhs " Brahmin " Ceylon Tea Europeans Chinese Tea Chinese A Malays " Tamils " Japanese " Pathans " Sikhs " Brahmins "	1 " 1 " 1 " 1 " 1 " 1 "   ¼ oz.   ¼ oz. ¼ " ¼ " ¼ " ¼ " ¼ "

SUNSET

The sun has set, the sky is deepest blue,
Far in the west the haze is burnished gold;
The clouds, capped with softest rosy hue,
Drift Idly piled in seething masses bold
Of cygnets down, then in a moment fade
Into the darkening sky: the sunset light
From gold flares up in tongues of flame on jade,
The colours die, the stars proclaim the night.
_[*13.10.44*]

BIRTHDAY

Fair Daughter mine, so far away,
I wonder what you've done this day,
How you have marked with those who are near
The passing of another year,
What birthday presents you have had,
What toys and books to make you glad,
What friends have come to join the fun
Of party games played in the sun,
Along the shore, and with you share
The sweet delights of party fare,
Of sandwiches and tarts and buns,
And crackers that go off like guns;
The ten small candles on your cake
The shaddows in the gloaming wake --
A decade gone from your young life,
of which because of senseless strife
I've had to miss nigh three years now:
Blessings on your precious brow.
[*_30.9.44*]
SLEEPING OUT

I lie in bed and see the stars
Above me spangle bright the sky.
Iwatch the planets, Saturn, Mars,
Climb the ecliptic and ride by,
And through the night I wake to see
The constellations slowly pass;
The moon comes up and winks at me,
Blacks the shaddows, turns the grass
To silver lances round my bed;
The sky grows pale, the stars go out,
And in the east the clouds grow red;
The world o'er night has turned about.
_[*25.4.44*]

White Sugar Europeans Japanese Bakers Europeans Chinese Malays Tamils Pathans Sikhs Brahmin Japanese TOTAL	1 oz ½ "   [*Best forget our gals*] [*when again we're free*]
Japanese Special Diets Butter Europeans "	¼ " ½ oz 1 "
Cheese Europeans Monday Tuesday Thursday Friday Saturday	2 ozs 4 "
Lard Europeans Japanese Cocoa Europeans	1 oz 1½ " ¼ "
Ghee Pathans     " Sikhs           " Brahmin    " Fresh Milk Brahmin A Tuberculous patients	1 oz. " " 1½ " pt. 1 "
Eggs Europeans Sunday & Wednesday only. Tuberculous patients. Japanese Tuesday, Thursday & Sunday. (Duck-Eggs.	1 daily 2 " 2 "

(Duck-Eggs.

^{H.M. Convict Prison Press Changi, Singapore.}

The New Camp
From Changi at last we have come to a place
Of relative freedom, and here we have found
We're interned in a camp where there's|plenty of space,
There’s blukar, tall trees, and green gardens all/round:
But the move we all long for’s the move to a land
Where free once again we’ll be able to stand.

'Tis a joy to be able to see far away
To hills ridged with trees, over valleys so green,
To walk on soft grass and dig the firm clay,
After concrete and bars which so long we have seen:
But oh how I long to be free far to roam,
To roam and return to the place I call home.

At last we have left behind grey concrete walls,
Have left the iron bars for others to hate,
No longer we live in those dim vasty halls,
Have almost forgotten we lived there so late:
But oh once again with loved ones to be
In a home of my own far away o’er the sea.

What a thrill in the morning to lie in my bed
And watch the dawn breaking unhidden by walls,
To see the red foxes flap homeward o'erhead,
And hear all around me the vibrant bird calls:
But much better far to be waked by a shout;
To hear four loved children rush wildly about.

Now masculine company's all very well
And I have no wish while we are interned
To change these my friends and with others to dwell,
Nor here to see women more am I concerned:
But oh how much longer is it going to be
Before once again all our dear ones we see.

For crowded humanity I do not care,
And here it's a joy once again to be free
From the crowds that in Changi milled round everywhere --
At last, strange sensation, quite alone can I be:
But oh for the touch of a hand that is dear
And the cry clear of 'Daddy' I love so to hear.
[*18.6.44*]

	WHY?
Oh why	Oh why	Our time
Must I	Must I	At Sims
Stay here	Eat rice	Road may
When dear	With spice	Someday
Ones are	Instead	An end
So far	Of bread,	Attend!
Away	Cold ham,	Our dope
Today?	And lamb?	Is hope.

[*20.10.44*]

^{12/41-10-100                                                        Ch.  46}

Daily Ration Analysis.

Husked Rice.

Diet.                       Quan.               Nos.    lbs                       ozs.

Europeans             4   ozs.

Chinese       A        16    "

Malays         "         16    "

Tamils          "         16    "

Japanese     "         16    "

Pathans       "         10    "

Sikhs             "         10    "

Brahim         "          12   "

Flour

Fish

Diet.                       Quan.               Nos.    lbs                       ozs.

Europeans            8    ozs

Chinese        A       3     "

Malays           "      3      "

Tamils           "       3     "

Japanese     "       3     "

Pathan         "       3     "

Sikhs             "        3   "

Mutton

Vegetables

Diet.                       Quan.               Nos.    lbs                       ozs.

Europeans             6     ozs

Chinese         A      12     "

Malays           "        12     "

Tamils            "        12     "

Japanese      "        12     "

Pathan          "        12     "

Sikhs              "        12     "

Brahmins ..             12    "

Potatoes

Europeans                4 ozs

Cocoanut oil

Diet.                       Quan.               Nos.    lbs                       ozs.

Chinese         A     1½    ozs.

Malays            "      1½     "

Tamils             "      1½     "

Pathan           "         ½    "

Sikhs               "         ½    "

Brahmin         "        ¼     "

Salt   

Europeans                ½ oz.

Chinese          A       1        "

The Three Parasites

The louse, the flea, and the harvest mite
Sat down to feed together,
Said mite to the others, 'why do you bite
Where the skin's as tough as leather?
Now just watch me you stupid beasts
And see how I grow fat,
So why not come and join my feasts
Inside the ear of rat?'
That wee pink mite he took hold fast
And to his meal he fell,
Nor paused he during his repast --
You should have seen him swell --
Squeezed tight with fifty brother mites
He never ceased to grow
For two whole days and two whole nights,
And then replete let go.

The flea replied in scornful tones,
'You're only born to-day,
So what d'you know fat lazybones?
I have a better way:
I'm streamlined and can quickly slip
Among rats hairs about
And feed where'er I like from tip
Of tail to pointy snout,
And then drop off when I have fed
For I have eggs to lay
Among the debris of rat’s bed,
Nor have I time to stay
To watch my young hatch out and grow --
They do not need my care --
And I am free to come and go
Between rat and his lair.'

The louse chipped in from where he ran
Pressed close against rat's skin;
'You neither of you,' he began,
Know ought, you don't "live in",
Instead you only take your meals
Upon our host the rat;
There's mite he bites but once and steals
Away to moult, grows fat
Again -- but eats I know not what
It is not blood I'm sure.
Then flea, you gad about a lot
Nor come till you're mature
To suck the blood that have you must
Before you lay the eggs
You leave to hatch among the dust,
To grubs that have no legs,
And feed upon the filth they find
About them in rat's nest.
But me, my life is all entwined
With the host that I infest;

The Three Parasites

I lay my eggs among rat's hair
And when my young hatch out
They settle down at once to share
My meal, not gad about
In search of other kinds of food,
And are content to live
From birth to death, a happy brood,
On what rat has to give.'

Now that is all these three did say,
They were too busy feeding
To tell us why it is that they
Are your attention needing.
About the louse no more we'll say,
It is a harmless creature,
The fact that it will never stray 
Is its redeeming feature.
The flea and mite both have, however,
A partiality
For human blood and will endeavour
When there's a scarcity
Of rats and mice to feed on US;
Not that this simple act
Were anything to make a fuss
About but for the fact
That they pass on to us diseases;
So you must surely see
That contact with both mites and fleas is
Bad for you and me.

The River Fever Japanese
(Despite its name widespread)
Is a most dangerous disease
That often leaves you dead;
It's caused by a little mite,
One called Trombicula,
Injecting through its unfelt bite
The germ Rickettsia;
This germ does little harm to rat
But in you multiplying
Produces soon a fever that
Will make you think you're dying.
The nimble flea is even worse
It carries two diseases.
The plaque, which in a worldwide curse,
Whole populations seizes;
At first it kills the ^, but then    [*rats*]
The hungry fleas in need
Of food will readily bite men
Upon their blood to feed;
And with its bite the flea injects
The germ Bacillus pestis
That causes plaque and so infects
The man -- that's how the pest is
So quickly passed from rat to man --
Such misery we find
This flea, called Xenopsylla, can
Inflict upon mankind.

The Three Parasites

But sad to tell this is not all;
This wretched animal
Will carry too an ill we call
The Typhus Tropical,
Or Shop or Urban Typhus too,
Which though less dangerous
An ailment than the other two
Is quite enough to fuss
About if you should chance to be
Infected from the faeces
Dropped by a Xenopsylla flea
(Cheopis is the species).

And now I hope you understand
The way in which disease
Is spread by this unholy band
Of rats and mites and fleas.
[*_{July ‘44}*]

April 27th., 1944

Today has been a day of rumour wild,
Strange stories circulate from mouth to mouth
And quickly grow like snowballs as they pass,
The core's an insubstantial thing on which
Accumulates so great an edifice;
We wait in hope and fear for what's to come
And having little else to think about
We speculate on what may be our lot;
The little things that in themselves are nought
Are added one and one and then two more
Until we find that two and two make eight
Not four, as foolishly our masters tought.
And thus we pile the evidence to prove
That very soon we'll be away from here,
On board for Goa and repatriation,
Or (since the facts when stripped of their /^accretions
Can be construed to fit whatever view
You hopes or fears incline you to accept)
It is Formosa that we're going to,
Or, if you're less boat-minded, then we'll be
Released in Singapore (though how we'll live
Or what we'll find to do I cannot think),
Or sent to Tanjong Rambutan perhaps --
A place well suited to our mental state.
So make your choice, they all of them and more
Are there for you to choose the one you like.

And now that I have finished this, I hear
It is to Bukit Timah that we go!
Ah well! it might be worse we must suppose,
Someday maybe we'll be repatriated;
Already now I hear the optimists
Have started rumours that we're off next month.